Southwest window opened this morning

[whitney250]

Booked my flight to MCO with points, so that flight only cost me $20 with EBCI! Thank you for posting that the flights had opened up!

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I booked today too. This is my first time flying on southwest. No seat assignment made me nervous so I bought the early bird check in. I paid $145 from NH to MCO and $305 for the return. The prices are crazy, but at least this is nonstop. Delta is mostly booked and the prices are crazy. I messed up and should have bought jet blue when they released because from Boston, we would have paid about $500 round trip and now the prices are $500 just for the return trip. I did not want to gamble waiting for jet blue to go down so I booked southwest.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I just looked at the flights I booked. The flight down is still the same, but the flight home on 11/13 is now $355. Jet Blue is the same, low going down, but then crazy on 11/13. I wonder why 11/13 is so high. I am glad I booked!

 

[kshark1958]

I booked today too. This is my first time flying on southwest. No seat assignment made me nervous so I bought the early bird check in. I paid $145 from NH to MCO and $305 for the return. The prices are crazy, but at least this is nonstop. Delta is mostly booked and the prices are crazy. I messed up and should have bought jet blue when they released because from Boston, we would have paid about $500 round trip and now the prices are $500 just for the return trip. I did not want to gamble waiting for jet blue to go down so I booked southwest.

I always fly SW and the early bird check in is worth it. If you didn't have that then you would have to be in front of your computer 24 hours before your flight to check in and print your boarding pass to get an early boarding number. Now you can check in and print your boarding pass anytime you want after 24 hours and not have to worry because SW has already assigned a boarding number for you. I have always paid for early bird check in and always had an early boarding number.Who wants to be sitting in front of their computer while you can be enjoying the parks.

 

[georgina]

I always fly SW and the early bird check in is worth it. If you didn't have that then you would have to be in front of your computer 24 hours before your flight to check in and print your boarding pass to get an early boarding number. Now you can check in and print your boarding pass anytime you want after 24 hours and not have to worry because SW has already assigned a boarding number for you. I have always paid for early bird check in and always had an early boarding number.Who wants to be sitting in front of their computer while you can be enjoying the parks.

I never bother with EBCI. We don't have small children and it is not critical that we sit together, although we have always managed to without EBCI. No need to be sitting in front of a computer to checkin, a smart phone can check in from anywhere in the parks. Takes less than a minute. My DH and I will compete to see who can get the lowest number boarding pass on our phones.

I have SW flights in Sept, one leg dropped in price a few weeks ago, and the other leg is lower today. I check every few days, since I booked with points I can just get the points back.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Try Bradley out of CT. Heck, you could leave your car at my house & I'll drop you off!!

Checked this morning and BOOM! Found flights for $365 on 12/24 and $367 on 1/1 at 8pm (which is what we initially had our hearts set on.)

Even though you were probably half joking, that's a heck of an offer. I sometimes forget how great the Dis family really is!

After yesterday's debacle, then watching my Mets and favorite pitcher get pummeled by our division rivals and having my work's internet kick out as I was buying Garth Brooks tickets, this was MUCH MUCH needed for my morale. Happy days ahead!

 

[kshark1958]

I never bother with EBCI. We don't have small children and it is not critical that we sit together, although we have always managed to without EBCI. No need to be sitting in front of a computer to checkin, a smart phone can check in from anywhere in the parks. Takes less than a minute. My DH and I will compete to see who can get the lowest number boarding pass on our phones.

I have SW flights in Sept, one leg dropped in price a few weeks ago, and the other leg is lower today. I check every few days, since I booked with points I can just get the points back.

Dummy me forgot about the smart phone check in. I guess it comes down to convenience for the EBCI and whether you think it's worth the price. To me it is. I know I'm getting an aisle seat near the front and we like to sit together as a group. Plus it's one less thing I have to be concerned about for just a few dollars. No problems no worries.

 

[pooch]

Checked this morning and BOOM! Found flights for $365 on 12/24 and $367 on 1/1 at 8pm (which is what we initially had our hearts set on.)

Even though you were probably half joking, that's a heck of an offer. I sometimes forget how great the Dis family really is!

After yesterday's debacle, then watching my Mets and favorite pitcher get pummeled by our division rivals and having my work's internet kick out as I was buying Garth Brooks tickets, this was MUCH MUCH needed for my morale. Happy days ahead!

True, only half joking! I am lucky to live 10 minutes from the airport and, if it was gonna save you time and money, I would do it. Of course it would cost a large bag of the caramel corn from the German pavilion!!!! Glad you were able to find something that works for you. Have a great trip!!

 

[perthgirl]

Hi - we will be flying in to LAX on the 15th January and Southwest looks like the best airline because it doesn't charge for baggage and as we are coming from Australia we will have bags! Any advice on best time to buy? Should I stalk them daily and try and buy the first day they release January flights or wait? We will also be flying from MCO to SFO later in the month - so same strategy?

 

[kshark1958]

Hi - we will be flying in to LAX on the 15th January and Southwest looks like the best airline because it doesn't charge for baggage and as we are coming from Australia we will have bags! Any advice on best time to buy? Should I stalk them daily and try and buy the first day they release January flights or wait? We will also be flying from MCO to SFO later in the month - so same strategy?

I think it depends on the airport you're flying out of, the dates and how popular the week is for vacations to Orlando. I'm flying out of Philadelphia first week of November and I was sitting in front of my computer at the time our dates became open which was 05/19/2016 at 6:30 am. I was able to get our flight to Orlando for 330 round trip. 15 minutes later it went up 60 dollars per person. 5 hours later it went up 130 per person. The same flight if I were to book it today is 610 per person. These are nonstop and popular flight times. So if you don't mind arriving at LAX at unpopular times like in the evening or leaving Orlando very early in the morning you can save some money.

 

[DebbieB]

I never bother with EBCI. We don't have small children and it is not critical that we sit together, although we have always managed to without EBCI. No need to be sitting in front of a computer to checkin, a smart phone can check in from anywhere in the parks. Takes less than a minute. My DH and I will compete to see who can get the lowest number boarding pass on our phones.

I have SW flights in Sept, one leg dropped in price a few weeks ago, and the other leg is lower today. I check every few days, since I booked with points I can just get the points back.

I used to never bother with EBCI but since they increased the family boarding to 6 and under, which people stretch to 7 or 8 and under, plus seat savers, I get it now. My last trip without it, I had B26 at 24 hours and ended up in the back on a bumpy flight.

 

[Minniekins]

I missed the opening time, didn't remember till my phone messaged me 6 hrs later. Don't know what happened because I had set my phone to alert me the night before and that morning and didn't get those. So, I bought my flight down at this time, much higher than expected at $162/9904 pts, but expected it to go down. And it has gone done to $139 so I grabbed that and got back 3100 pts. Hoping it still goes down more, so I stalk.

But, I'm stalking even more to get some flights to come back home! Not that I wanna come back home, I'd rather stay in my fave place but that's not gonna work, lol. So by the time I looked, the times I wanted on Sunday, Nov 20th, flying from MCO to MDW(chicago), the two later evening flights (7 pm and 10 pm), were at 315 and 195! I finally decided to grab the $195 just to have a spot on the plane, but hating to use that many points, but figuring they'd go down. Well, waited about 30 min and that 195 went to $215! So I am waiting. Most flights through out the day are over $300. The 10 pm flight at $215 was the lowest price. I'll be quite upset if they don't go down, that's for sure! So, I leave a tab open on my home computer, and at work, and have the app on my phone, open, too, and look often! Ugh! But glad we can switch at least, that's why I like to book with points!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Ok, I'm freaking out! The SWA fares from Dallas to Orlando are over $400 each way!! What?!?! I wasn't planning on paying that round trip. Horrible!

I feel your pain. The flights from Chicago/Midway to Orlando for Nov 27 are $500. I sure wasn't planning on them being that high.

 

[mdsd8700]

Not sure if this will help anyone but I just checked our SW return flight for the week of Thanksgiving and our price went down. The weekend after still is crazy high.

 

[DisDadDVC]

Not sure if this will help anyone but I just checked our SW return flight for the week of Thanksgiving and our price went down. The weekend after still is crazy high.

Our outgoing to MCO on Thanksgiving week went down a lot today.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Our outgoing to MCO on Thanksgiving week went down a lot today.

What airport?

 

[DisDadDVC]

What airport?

BDL on 11/22 and 11/23.

 

[mdsd8700]

What airport?

Chicago/Midway

 

[perthgirl]

I can't seem to get my head around US airlines releasing seats (and Disney releasing packages for that matter) only 6 months out. Here downunder they release for a year at a time - and go on sale depending on bookings. I keep checking for January - then finally found a little note saying SW opens January seats on July 7. Are they trying to force demand or something?

 

[DebbieB]

I can't seem to get my head around US airlines releasing seats (and Disney releasing packages for that matter) only 6 months out. Here downunder they release for a year at a time - and go on sale depending on bookings. I keep checking for January - then finally found a little note saying SW opens January seats on July 7. Are they trying to force demand or something?

By having a shorter time frame for opening dates, they can better understanding of how to plan their schedules. Airlines that open up 11 months in advance tend to have frequent schedule changes to adjust. SW rarely has adjustments.